Search For a Purpose: Refined (Part One)
by The Randomind
Summary: Adam just wanted a simple, peaceful life. But everything changes for him and Ruby when his family is attacked by a syndicate. Searching for his meaning in life, he begins to uncover a secret based around a multi-incarnate spirit and a dimension colder and crueler than anything possibly imagined. At the same time, he begins to question whether his born powers are a gift, or a curse.
1. A Fateful Day

**Randomind: Hey, everyone!**

**? ? ? ?: Why did you take our story down?**

**Randomind: Because, Adam, I made a bunch of mistakes, so many that I had to take down the story to refine it.**

**? ? ? ?: Then why didn't you at least give a warning?**

**Randomind: Ruby, I'll explain. For those who knew about the story before it was taken down, I had many issues to fix. For example, the pace of the story was way too fast, and needed to slow down.**

**Adam: How slow?**

**Randomind: So slow I decided to cut the story into two. There are alsomany differences between the old and refined versions. Some old readers may barely notice. But one in particular changes drastically! I am also upping what I can do, so publication of chapters may be inconsistent.**

**Ruby: How will people know said differences?**

**Randomind: At the bottom of each chapter I will list differences. Understand the pace will be much slower than before. Sorry if I startled any of you, but it was for the better. Anyway, let's get started! I don't own anything except for my OCs, which are listed on my profile.**

**Adam: Why is your Ipod smashed up? (picks it up) Did you hit it with a hammer?**

**Randomind: I was playing Flappy Bird, okay?!**

* * *

_**Chapter One: A Fateful Day**_

_Lostlorn Forest Ruby's POV_

I woke up with a light yawn. Today just seemed like a good day. The sun was shining brightly, though we slept where we knew there'd be shade. A gentle wind blew, making the temperature nice and cool. I decided to go and wash my face in the small pond to fully wake myself up. I couldn't get over the perfect weather. It had been such a long time since it was like this. When I finally got to the pond I looked down at my reflection. The water was about three inches deep, yet looked like a mirror that went down forever.

I didn't look too out of the ordinary for a gardevoir, except for my slightly increased height. I had the same look the others had. There wasn't much but the inch-difference in height to tell me apart from the others. But then again, I was only twelve years old. I gave my face a cold wash, plucked an oran berry from a tree, and munched on it while walking back to Adam, who was still sleeping. He had dark brown hair and eyes. And he was just as old and tall as me.

Normally he'd sleep without moving or making a noise. But recently he struggled and muttered. It always concerned me that my close friend was like this, but I considered going into other people's minds rude, unless it was for telepathy. But Adam could understand me vocally, negating the need for telepathy unless for secrecy.

"Are you okay, Adam?" I asked, wondering if he could hear me. After no response, I decided to bend down and nudge him a little to see how he'd react. He jumped awake, accidentally head-butting me as he rose. We both collapsed from the hit.

"Ruby! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" Adam rushed up to me and helped me up.

"It's okay, Adam. It was my fault. I noticed you were struggling in your sleep. What kind of a dream were you having?"

"I've been having the same nightmare as before. But each time I keep forgetting the important stuff in it."

"What do you remember, Adam? Please tell me." I saw Adam lean against a tree and sigh.

"I only remember holding a torch. You were there, too. We were trying to reach something, but I didn't know what. After a few minutes, the flame on the torch turned blue. Then we talked a little. Again, I can't remember what. Then the flame just turned black, yet still gave off light. A little later something appeared right in front of us. I turned to you when I woke up. Those eyes...they just keep appearing in my head."

"Do you think it means something?"

"Probably, but what does it mean? There's much more to it if it keeps happening." I sat on the ground and began to think about our six years in hiding.

"...Hey, Adam? Do you get the feeling we've been hiding long enough? I mean, I'm pretty sure the Purifiers have already taken us for dead."

"I know, but something keeps telling me to stay. Those guys can track my cross traits from a mile away." Adam was a cross between a human and a zoroark, giving him the form of a human with all the abilities of a zoroark. The Purifiers were a group of people that attacked us and his family six years ago. We both remembered that day like it was yesterday.

* * *

_Flashback of Nimbasa City Ruby's POV_

It was a summer night when it all happened. At the time I was a small six-year-old ralts visiting Adam and his family occasionally. Although I lived in the wild, they welcomed me as a close friend. John and Clara were great people. John the zoroark was a historian and could speak perfect English. He believed there was something hidden in the Lostlorn Forest that could be a discovery beyond anything ever known. He even had something from that forest he wouldn't let anybody touch. We all laughed over his obsession.

Clara was a nice woman. She came from a group of nomads that were born with a special power. That power was the ability to manipulate the essence of her soul as power, which is pretty mind-blowing when one considers the concept of it. She took a job as a lawyer, and never lost a case. I remember playing with Adam while his parents were talking by phone. Clara was at a court house whereas John was taking care of the both of us at home. The family was considering fleeing to Kalos when they heard of a syndicate that had grunts showing "aggressive behavior" towards pokephiles. About three hours later I began to wonder more and more about the syndicate and what they've done.

"Do you feel that we're safe, being here in Unova?" I asked Adam.

"You know...I really don't know. I hope that we are, but I think we're in danger. I don't see how moving to Kalos is going to solve anything. Chances are there are anti-pokephiles there, too." After hearing knocking on the door Adam and I slowly backed away.

"We are the Purifiers! Open up!" Adam and I began to panic, trying really hard not to make a sound.

"Get off the property! My wife is a lawyer, you know!" John said back.

"A lawsuit is the least of your worries, John. Clara couldn't put up much of a fight." The man on the other side of the door chuckled.

"You have ten seconds to run, you son of a bitch!" John yelled.

"Oh, Clara's not dead...yet. You should worry about your son and yourself! Soldiers! Now!" The loud banging on the door was more than enough to show how much we were in trouble. John barricaded the wondows and doors as fast as he could with Adam and I helping.

"Listen, you two," John got us close to him as he ducked down to eye level, "You two can't stay here. Get out through the roof. I know the both of you can make it into the Lostlorn forest. You two know how to make it through the forest better than anyone."

"But, Dad, what about you?" Adam was starting to tear up.

"Don't worry about me. I'll meet up with you two later, I promise!" John hugged Adam for two quick seconds. "Now go! Hurry!" We could see the hinges on the door beginning to break. As Adam and I ran to the upper floor, Adam tripped on that case John always kept safe. I didn't see what was inside, but it scratched Adam's knee. He pushed it away.

"We need to keep moving!" Adam jumped as high he could, pulling the ladder to the attic down. We heard the front door completely break down, and we rushed our effort to climb out the attic window and run into the forest. Unfortunately I could tell that one of them had spotted us.

"Hey, the kid's getting away!" A Purifier shouted.

"Take care of John! I'll get the kid!" I looked to see a Purifier, whose pitch black uniform stood out from the more grayish shade of the others', rush towards us. It shocked me to see how fast he was running. To make it worse, a mightyena and houndoom followed him!

**No, no, no no no!** I could hear Adam begin to panic in his mind. I was no different. If we didn't find a good hiding spot, we'd get caught.

_Where are we gonna hide?!_ I was more afraid than ever, even though I knew they weren't after me.

**Um...this tree!** It looks easy enough to climb. Adam helped lift me up to the branches so I could climb. He followed just behind me, cracking parts of each branch so they looked too fragile to climb on. **Now I just need a distraction...Ruby, on my call, throw those rocks on the ground with Telekinesis, okay?**

_Got it._ I knew Adam was going to create an illusion. Once we saw the three coming we prepared everything.

"Are you sure he went this way, Mightyena?" The Purifier asked, "I don't see him anywhere." He put something in his ear. It was probably a translator or something.

"Yes, sir. The scent stops here."

"He must be using an illusion to hide himself." The houndoom said.

"He can't be far. I saw him a minute ago." The Purifier walked around for a few seconds before looking up and seeing us. "You thought you could hide from us for long?" I looked at Adam, who lacked expression on his face. Suddenly he buzzed out like a hologram. "What the?!"

**Ruby,** he said in his mind, knowing I'd pick it up, **now. **I threw a few stones into a bush with Telekinesis without them noticing. The second they heard the rustling they ran towards it, away from us.

_Well, that takes care of them. _I quietly sighed with relief.

**...I want to check on my parents, **he said in his head with worry.

_Okay, but let's be careful. I don't want you to get caught. _We moved through the trees, using my Telekinesis move to make us lighter-footed than usual. We saw something going on at Route 16, fairly close to us.

John and Clara were bound to a pole by something, we weren't close enough to tell what it was. It glowed a green light. Some of the Purifiers were flooding the ground with...water?

_Why would they put water all over the ground?_

**I don't think that's water...** We both saw the one guy who chased us approach them in the area that wasn't soaked with...whatever it was. He said something to them, but I didn't dare use telepathy or they'd know we were still near. He struck something on his armor, causing it to light a small flame.

_A match? Then what they poured was...Oh, no!_

Adam didn't even speak, mentally or physically. Instead he turned away, as did I. We couldn't watch what was about to unfold. It didn't take a genius to know what happened back there, as what we heard said it all. Screams of pain and suffering rang in our ears like there had never been such thing as sound before. The both of us were in tears. When the screams finally subsided we were still crying. After a long many minutes I could see Adam's face change from sadness to anger. I hadn't seen more fury in his eyes.

**Someday they will pay for what they did. **Something dimly glowing red, almost gaseous, began to shine from Adam's clenching fist. He didn't seem to notice it for the few seconds it lasted.

_What are we gonna do?_ I began to worry a lot.

**The safest place for now is this forest. We should hide here until they think we're dead.**

_...Okay..._ We took shelter in the forest using what was available. We didn't dare to go into the center of the forest. We knew all too well the high number of disappearances in there. We couldn't get any good sleep that day. We even had nightmares in spades. It was so hard to get any comfort. That day had scarred us, and we'd never forget it.

* * *

_Back to the Present Ruby's POV_

"I think it's time we left the forest. I think after six years, we should go out for a while." I said, hoping Adam would agree.

"...You're right. We've been here for so long...maybe we could use some time out of the forest." I could tell something was on his mind.

"What's wrong, Adam?"

"...My mother said that someday I would find out how to make the ability of her ancestors come to me. I don't understand how to make that happen, though."

"Don't worry, Adam. I'm sure it will be soon."

"...Where do you think we should go first, Ruby? There's so many places to choose from."

"How about the library in Nimbasa? I remember lots of interesting stuff being in there."

"Sure, but first, we need to do something."

"What is it?" I realized what he was thinking when he took out a pokeball.

"This pokeball is an old model. It has a glitch in it where if you break the ball correctly, it renders the pokemon attached to it immune to all pokeballs, even when this one is broken."

"Oh. Well, let's try it." Adam put me into the pokeball and let me out right away. He then twisted the ball while crushing it. Suddenly it collapsed with a few sparks.

"Hey! What the hell happened to my pokedex?!" A man shouted in the distance.

"Did my computer just break?!" A woman yelled.

"Why aren't my TMs working?!" A kid was furious.

"Oh, right...it also makes a little EMP." Adam sighed as he dropped the remains of the old pokeball. "...You wanted to go to the library, right?"

"Yeah..." We sneaked through the trees and into Nimbasa without getting noticed by anyone.

* * *

_Unknown Place Unknown POV_

"What's his future," I asked my friend, "have you foreseen it?"

"It is still uncertain, my Lady. There are two paths for him to take. We will only know which one once fate tests him."

"You mean it will be reassembled?"

"Yes...at a great cost, though."

"I see...why are there two paths for him to take? No foresight has left you uncertain before."

"That depends on the price, my Lady, and whether or not it is paid before or after the reassembly."

"...We must watch him closely. Tell the four of them to watch over him, but do not interfere in his affairs."

"Yes, my Lady." The friend left.

_What is it, _I thought, _that sets him apart from everybody else...there is no way he could be...could he?_

* * *

**Adam: I thought you said the pace was going to be slower. You just cut six years.**

**Randomind: Due to changes from the old to new, there was nothing worth writing about in those six years. This is one of two times where lots of time is skipped, the other linking the two parts of the story together. But those are the only two times. The rest of the story will almost crawl, adding so many more events to the point where it seems like a standalone story just with one part.**

**Ruby: The beginning was better-written, but different.**

**Randomind: Like I said, there are differences. Leave a review if you feel something needs to be heard. I would appreciate the positive criticism about what strengths and weaknesses I have.**

**Adam: Please give feedback! Don't make him make crappy jokes that make him look like a sad bum. Please give good feedback!**

**Randomind: (in head) _Way to lift my spirits, prick._ (Aloud) I won't list every single difference each chapter, though it will seem like it because of the number of differences. With that said, see you all later!**

* * *

Differences between old and new versions in chapter one:

-In the older version, the present was two months after the flashback, not six years.

-Originally, the flashback was told by Adam. In fact, Ruby never actually witnessed the event herself.

-In the old version, Adam was close friends with N from childhood. Now, they haven't even met.

-Adam was found and spoke with the houndoom and mightyena in the old version, tricking their noses with a berry with his sweat on it and claiming himself an illusion. If you look now, he tricked them without saying a word, but actually uses his illusions to make himself look fake.

-A human didn't accompany the two dog-like pokemon before.

-The age of twelve in the present was skipped in the old version.

-The old version skipped about four years twice, not including the skip essential to the story. In this version, it skipped six years once. Also, this version is slower-paced.

-Before this version, Adam was unaware of his capability of soul power until a soon-to-be-reintroduced OC taught him. Now, he is fully aware of this ability, but doesn't know how to use it yet.

-Ruby never evolved into a gardevoir until she was fourteen, according to the original story.

-Adam was unfazed by the disappearance stories about Lostlorn Forest's center previously. Now he won't try to go there.

-The red glow on Adam's arm never showed up before.

-That "unknown place" part at the end never happened before.

-The EMP incident was mentioned in the original version, but was never actually shown.

-When Adam and Ruby were in their first scenes, they were picking berries at age six, not waking up at age twelve.


	2. Library

**Randomind: Hey, everyone! Adam and Ruby are a little busy right now, but will be back for the closing part. I just want to get this out there for those who don't know: Pokemorphs and crosses are not the same. Their origins are, with human-pokemon pairings, but they have differences, which you'll find out in this chapter.**

**Also, in case others are wondering, this story takes place years before the events of the games. From what I found, N is twenty years old in said events. Adam was made to match N's age. So referencing Adam's age in this story to N's age in the games gives you an idea of how long back these would take place. I don't own anything except for my OCs, which are listed on my profile page. Enjoy.**

* * *

_**Chapter Two: Library**_

_Nimbasa Library Adam's POV_

"This place is huge," Ruby said as we entered the library. It was hard to tell how big the entire place was. Countless books on end in about a hundred tall and wide shelves. I had no idea this place owned so many books.

"It's kind of sad. I heard they're going to tear down this place and turn it into a gym. That one model...what was the name..." I had it on the tip if my tongue, but just couldn't get it.

"Elesa," Ruby finally said.

"Yeah, that was it...She just got a job as a leader. I bet she'll use that zebstrika of hers. It is her favorite." A couple guys about five years older than us must have over heard us, because they looked over to us.

"Can you guess why it's her favorite?" One of the guys asked. The others laughed and left. I didn't really get what they meant by that, but Ruby had a shocked look.

"Um, Ruby? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" It took three seconds for her wide-eyed look to cease.

"...Yeah, I'm okay...their joke just caught me off guard." We started to start searching for something worth reading. Surprisingly, there wasn't much, but that was probably due to being in the kids' section.

"Anatomy of a Tepig For Kids, nope. Breaking The Restrictions of TMs, probably fake. The Secret of Elesa and Zebstrika...huh..." _Could this be what those guys were talking about? I thought. _I decided to take the book about Elesa down and looked at the front cover. The cover seems good enough. The cover was just gray with yellow text making the title. For some reason, the cover's color was in multiple shades. I was dumb enough to actually open the book. As soon as I realized what was in those little pages I immediately put the book back. _Why do they have that in the **kids' **section?! _At the time I thought someone misplaced the book. It took me five minutes to realize that those guys from earlier knew I was going to find it. _Those little..._I just tried to set that aside and look for another book. I left the kids' section and went into other areas.

I eventually found a book, this one being about the group of nomads my mother came from. It wasn't a hard choice to open the book and read it. Most of the things I already knew, such as how they disbanded years ago, and their ability to manipulate the essence of their soul. But then I found something interesting.

_"It is said that we create our own demons. The nature of soul power is a literal example of this. Within all of us is a demonic side of us waiting to be freed. It has a power of its own, which is fully unleashed should it succeed in taking over its host._

_"The demonic side has the power to attack once. This is considered the ultimate mental test for the user of soul power. If the person can defend his mind against this one attack, they will be free of this threat forever. _

_"The ones who fail are taken over, their soul becoming the demonic entity's to manipulate. Using their power in conjunction with the host's will result in something to avoid. They can devour the souls of others to add to their power. A mass killing could create a near-unstoppable being. _

_"The way to identify one of these beings is their black eyes with pupils that glow blood red. Avoid them if you cannot match their power, as they are just as smart as normal people, but will not hesitate to kill."_

I put away the book after reading that entry. It creeped me out to think the greatest strength my mother's family had was also their greatest weakness. I actually became worried about myself. I was safe for now, since didn't know how to use soul power. But when I would learn it, I could risk putting people in jeopardy. I was about to panic before the sound of Ruby's voice in my head calmed me down.

**Found anything yet? **Ruby, who was on the other side of the building, asked me through telepathy.

_Not yet, _I replied in my head. I took the book back, wanting to learn more, and searched for another.

**Why were you looking in the kids' section? Why would anything there be interesting? **She had a point.

_Well, because of a book I found, I now get the joke those guys told us._

**Oh, that. I'm surprised you didn't get it the first time.**

_Wait, I found something. It's an old lore from Sinnoh._

**I found one, too. This one seems...different. It doesn't say where this is from. **We both met up at a table and began to read the books we found.

_So according to this book... _even though we were right next to each other, I still wanted to keep the stuff between the two of us._ ..."Pokemon and people long ago were considered one in the same, and pairings between the two were widely accepted." I wonder who the first person was to draw the line._

_...Anyway, "results of such pairings resulted in crosses and pokemorphs. Crosses, the rarer of the two, carried the form of the human, but inherited the capabilities of the pokemon. The more common pokemorphs had the ability to change from pokemon to human form, with all traits being separate to each form. Given that people and pokemon were once no different from each other, some believe that the legendary pokemon, who created this world, were also pokemorphs. However, this idea has been rejected by many."_

**Adam...Do you think we're alone in the universe?**

_I'd bet there are multiple universes out there. Even if there was just one, I doubt we're the only ones in it. What does your book say?_

**Oh, yeah. It speaks of an old myth. But it doesn't say where this takes place..."An ancient spirit once ruled somewhere a long time ago. Some say it was millennia ago, others believe it was only a few years ago. This spirit, known as Umbra Vis, was highly respected by his acquaintances and four friends.**

**"However, when everything he held dear to him was attacked, all but one friend, a lover, turned away from him. In his grief for his loss and anger for the ones that refused help, he grew bitter. Throughout all his incarnations, he swore revenge against the attacker and the deserters. All his lives he planned to assemble a lost item to regain his once god-like powers. An endless cycle of hatred, an unforgiving circle of grief." That's kind of a sad story. Being trapped like that, never being able to let go, it just feels sad.**

_It does seem sad...I couldn't imagine losing everything I cared for._ I sighed. Just the thought of that being gone forever was just depressing.

**Didn't you lose all that six years ago?**

_What about you? I care for you. _She didn't answer. Something was on her mind. _Did I say something I shouldn't have?_

**No, no, you're fine...remember when we first met?**

_Yeah. Those were good times when we had it so easy. No worries, no troubles...no wisdom of what the outside world really was like. How could I have not noticed what was going to happen? _I actually teared up a little thinking about that day when I was five. Ruby saved me from a horrible death when we met.

**How could you have known? It was only natural for you to run.**

_The shock got the best of me. I almost died in a very painful way. I shouldn't even be alive. Why did you come to me? You were going to find your parents, but you came to me instead. Why? _I tried not to show how panicked I really was. Otherwise people would think I was crazy.

**I couldn't just let somebody drown! I could tell you were attacked before you fell into the river. I couldn't allow somebody to die like that.**

_But weren't you looking for your parents?_

**...I lied, Adam. I knew very well where my parents were.**

_Did something happen to them?_ I did my best to calm down. Ruby had always told me that she was separated from her parents in an accident.

**...I'll talk about it later. This is getting uncomfortable.**

_Sorry, Ruby._

**What's that book you're holding?**

_Here. _I opened up the pages about the demonic part of soul power and gave the book to Ruby. She grew wide-eyed as she read the pages. It was like she was reading those creepy spaghetti things or whatever. She closed the book and tried to loosen her eyes.

**To think things like those are out there...It just creeps me out. **Just when she said that I felt something in my head. It wasn't familiar. **What's wrong, Adam?**

_I think we're being spied on. We should get out of here._

**...I don't feel anything.**

_Just to be safe, we should go. _We gathered the books, put them on different shelves, and left the building in a hurry. We traveled through the streets looking for somewhere else to go. There wasn't much. Part of the town was blocked off for construction of a ferris wheel, and the Pokemon Musical was always crammed. The sport centers were boring, even Ruby didn't enjoy it. As we left the stadium, I noticed a man wearing a dark green green uniform talking to another person with a lighter shade of the same uniform.

_Purifiers, _I thought. I noticed one of them look at me with interest. He got the darker-uniformed man to look, too. _Ruby, they're on to us._

**Who? I don't see any-oh! **We picked up our walking pace. We stopped at Route 6, hoping we lost them. Ruby decided to read their minds to see what they were thinking.

**_"See? This is why being a mall Santa is not for you. You look at a kid, they freak. I bet if people saw you near an elemantary school, they'd report you in a heartbeat."_**

**_"Shut up, Ryan. At least my girlfriend isn't a total who-"_**

**_"Helena isn't my girlfriend."_**

**_"It still doesn't change the fact that she's a huge cock-tease."_**

**_"What does that mean?"_**

**_"Don't deny it, you know she's messed with Matthew, Eric, David, Patrick, and probably everyone under her lead. Almost every guy either hates her for her teasing or is seduced. Don't tell me that's not whorish."_**

**I think we should hurry up and leave before they find us. **Ruby seemed really worried.

_I think we should stick around and see where this goes._

**Come on, **she whined mentally.

_Okay, okay. _We walked back into the Lostlorn Forest. It was peaceful as always. We went to the small pond. We still couldn't get over the fact that it looked bottomless, yet was really just a few inches deep. We both put our hands in the water just to see how cold it was.

**"You think you're safe?" **A voice boomed right next to me. The voice seemed like it was out of a voice changer. I jumped and looked to my right where the voice cane from. Then I looked to my left, where Ruby was looking at me like I was being weird.

"Are you okay, Adam?"

"Did you hear someone?"

"No..."

"I heard something right next to me."

"Are you sure it wasn't telepathic?"

"Certain. It was a foot away from my right ear."

"Nothing was there, Adam."

"But..." I just gave up. I looked at the water again. It was still blue and was still reflective. I sighed.

"Something's been bothering you, Adam. I can tell. It's been for so long. What is it you're feeling sad about?"

"...That's the problem. I don't even know if I can feel at all."

"That's crazy, Adam. I'm sure that you can-"

"This is serious, Ruby. It looks like I feel, it looks like I can, but I can't. That panic from the library, deep down, that wasn't real. Every tear for a long time, it wasn't real. The laughes and smiles, they aren't real. Something is really wrong with me, Ruby. But where am I going to go? What am I going to-" Ruby suddenly hugged me abd squeezed hard enough to shut me up.

"Adam, please calm down. I'm sure we can get some help. Don't forget you can rely on me." She let go, letting me breathe.

"I'm just so empty. I don't know why, but I am. Do you know what that's like, Ruby, do just have nothing but void?" I could tell Ruby was about to say something, but then another thing got her attention. "What is it, Ruby?"

"Someone is watching us."

"Again?" I looked where Ruby pointed to see a lopunny, apparently talking on a cross-transceiver. The lopunny looked up at us and then slowly backed away. Instead of pursuing it I asked Ruby, "Can you use your telepathy to see if anyone else is here?" Ruby closed her eyes, but then opened them again in about a second.

"It's a group. They're everywhere. We can't run." Ruby said.

"I doubt they want trouble. Should we talk to them?" I could see other pokemon walking towards us, a gallade, a lucario, and that lopunny. They all looked like they wanted to pummel us. "Never mind," I muttered. "What do you want from us?" I asked them. They didn't respond. Instead, the lucario began charging an Aura Sphere.

"Ruby, get back." Suddenly I took an Aura Sphere to the back, knocking me down. It didn't hurt me as much as it took the wind out of me. I got back up to see the lucario running towards me with a metal claw. He missed me by a hair. "What is your problem?" The gallade rushed at me, unleashing a Close Combat attack to me. I was hit only about twice, but it still hurt badly. "Do I really need to-" The lucario prepared a Dragon Pulse. I had enough and launched a Night Daze at the lucario, knocking him over. The gallade went in for another shot, but I caught him with a Foul Play both of them were about to move at once when someone else called out to them.

"Stop!" Someone yelled. Reluctantly, the two pokemon retreated from me, but only a few feet." The lopunny backed away as well, despite not even fighting. A bunch of guys walked up to us. I recognized them as the ones from the library.

"Your joke from the library wasn't funny." I said.

"It was a test," one of the guys said, "and so was that small fight."

"A test for what?" Ruby asked.

"We know who you are," another said, "...Adam."

* * *

**Adam: This is both interesting and boring at the same time.**

**Randomind: That fight scene was not really even a fight, nor was it supposed to be. My real fights are much better than that. Besides, I said it'd be slow-paced, so it's gonna be slow-paced.**

**Ruby: What was the talk between those two Purifiers about?**

**Randomind: I thought I'd add some humor.**

**Adam: Some humor.**

**Randomind: Look, just be patient, okay? (Turns to reader) leave a review if you feel something needs to be heard, message me if you have questions (no, I will not spoil anything), and see you all later!**

* * *

Differences between the old and new versions:

-The entire chapter didn't exist in the old version. (For future reference, if a chapter doesn't have a difference list, it means it neither existed in the old version nor made any long-lasting effects that would veer from the old version.

-Adam and Ruby never read anything about the demonic part of souls, nor about Umbra Vis in the old versions. In fact, they didn't know any of that altogether until it was told to them about it.

-Anybody can learn soul power, but carriers of the nomadic family genes have less risk of the demonic takeover. (This isn't a difference, I just wanted to point it out.)

-Nobody ever found Adam while in hiding except for the Purifiers before, and even then the revealing encounter was made by accident.

-Ruby's origin was never specified in the old version, but will be in a future chapter.

-Adam did have problems with himself in both versions, but it is and will be more emphasized in later chapters than with the old version.

-The reference to Adam drowning almost to death was planned to be, but never posted in the older version. (I wanted to make a flashback, but couldn't do it without making it too grim. I may post the flashback in a later chapter when more appropriate.)

-Helena was never mentioned in the older version.


	3. You're Not Alone

**Randomind: Hey everyone.**

**Adam: (on the computer) Hey, what's SOPA?**

**Randomind: I was getting to that. SOPA, from what I've found, is one of a couple bills meant to increase enforcement on copyright protection. This seems like a good thing...until you realize it puts fan-made stuff like, oh I don't know, _this site_, in danger of being shut down permanently. These bills have been brought up many times the past few years in an effort to be passed.**

**Adam: What we ask of you is to help vote against this act to keep this and many sites alive.**

**Ruby: On The Randomind's profile page is a link to a petition protesting the bills. Please vote to keep FanFiction running!**

**Randomind: But with that being said, I only own my OCs, which are also on my profile.**

* * *

**_Chapter Three: You're Not Alone_**

Lostlorn Forest Ruby's POV

"How did you find me?" Adam was still on his guard.

"Lucien here is a great snoop." One of the boys pointed to the lucario. "Using his pseudo-psychic abilities with the aura, it didn't take much to find you."

"Why did you want to find us?" I stepped back.

"Because we know if the Purifiers found you first, you'd be dead," the second teen spoke up.

"Who are you people anyway?" Adam questioned.

"We're people who banded together when disaster left us alone in the world. Fire, murder, discrimination, catastrophe, it left our families gone. We have stayed with each other since."

"So why find me? Are you thinking of making us part of your group?" It was hard to tell how Adam was reacting. His tone didn't give much of a clue. He didn't seem mad, worried, or anything.

"That was the plan," the lopunny spoke up.

"Not a good plan." The two of us were going to leave, but the first guy talked again.

"You won't figure out what your father was looking for by yourself."

"Shut up," Adam snapped.

"It's been haunting you, has it?" the boy added.

"I said to shut up!" Adam's tone was somehow indifferent, which confused me.

"Are you really considering just moving aimlessly all your life?"

"And you have a lead? How do you even know my father was after something?"

"He wasn't the only one who believed something id out there. My older cousin and I also wanted to find it."

"Where do you all live anyway? Surely you have some sort of shelter."

"We live actually on the edge of this forest. It borders this huge lake smack in the middle of the region. Some say there's this place in the center radiating with energy."

"Really," I asked, "that close?"

"There's no paved path to it, so the public wouldn't think to go near our home...you two seem nervous, the gardevoir especially."

"Can you blame her?" Adam backed me up. "Being surrounded by many people cornered at us?"

"Those fakes you sensed were made by yours truly," the lucario laughed.

"What? It's just you six?!" I was shocked.

"Why are you surprised? We're no army. Did you really think we were a mass group?" A kid looked at the lucario. "You're getting better and better, Lucien."

"Really?" Suddenly the lucario was trapped in a white orb that disappeared a second later, revealing a boy just as old as the others. "I thought I was still rusty."

"You're a pokemorph?" Adam asked.

"So are we," said the gallade. He and the lopunny transformed in the same way, the gallade into a boy older than the others, the lopunny into a girl seemingly my age.

"If you come with us, we'll tell you more about ourselves."

_What do you think, Adam?_ I asked by telepathy.

**...I think we should go with them, but on our guard.**

_I agree._

"We'll go," Adam spoke.

"This way." The six led us through the trees we were already familiar with. But I noticed Adam starting to worry a little.

"Isn't this a little close to the center of the forest?"

"Don't worry," the half-lucario said, "we won't actually go into it. But I am curious about that place. Nobody has tried going in there for years."

"What do you think is at the center," the lopunny pokemorph asked, "a ghost? A killer?"

"A ghost-type pokemon?" one of the kids asked.

"No way." The second kid tripped on a stone, but got up in a jiffy. "If it was a pokemon, they would've dealt with it a long time ago. It has to be something different. Purifiers have come and gone in there."

"Really?" Adam looked to him.

"Yeah, but it never ended well. There was always one person that either went crazy or died."

"That's comforting," I said sarcastically. For some reason I began to feel a little dizzy.

"Are you okay, Ruby?" Adam moved closer to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Suddenly I heard this voice in the back of my head. I had never heard anything like it before.

_**"Leave if you wish to live," **_the voice said. I shook just at the sound.

"Adam, I...I-"

"I heard it, too. We should hurry." Adam and I began to walk faster.

"What's with you two?" The half-gallade asked. "Afraid of a few trees?"

"What about an unfamiliar voice in our heads? Does that make it acceptable?" Adam was still not showing any signs. Was something really wrong with him?

"We're here," the half-lopunny stated. They pointed to a normal-sized building, like an apartment in Nimbasa. I imagined the inside was like one, too.

"The building's in good shape. Is it really just you six that live here?" Adam questioned.

"We found a giant battery to power the place," Lucien said, "it was about to die out today, but then the weirdest thing happened."

"What happened?" I asked.

"The battery just recharged itself completely. We heard that other peoples' devices were broken, so we figured it was some sort of EMP. Do you two know anything about it?"

"No," Adam lied.

"Well, whether we know how or not, we now have ten years of more power now." We began to walk into the place. Just as I thought, the interior was just like the norm.

"Ten years? That must be a big battery," I chuckled.

"...We never properly introduced ourselves, did we?" The third kid asked.

"No," I said. I actually didn't even take the time to remember what they looked like, which was really stupid of me.

"Don't worry. We'll introduce ourselves." The six people lined up to us and introduced away.

"My name is Josh, from Black City." Josh, the first kid was much taller than us, being six-foot-five. But he was seventeen, so obviously he would be taller. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and wore a black shirt with white symbols dyed on it. His jeans were the sane color.

"I'm Alex, from Kalos," the second kid spoke. This one was just as old and tall as Josh, but had blond hair and light brown eyes. He wore the normal clothing of a pokemon trainer, but without the cap.

"You can call me Nathan. I'm from Nimbasa, like you Adam." The third one was as old as the others but was two inches shorter than the other two, had black hair, and emerald green eyes to go with it. He wore a red shirt and blue jeans.

"I go by Lucien. I'm from Sinnoh." Lucien was the lucario pokemorph. In his human form, he was no taller or older than Adam, had sapphire blue eyes, and dark brown hair, but not as dark as Adam's. He wore a light green shirt and dark green pants.

"My name is Frank. I was born in Stration City." Frank was the half-gallade. His human form was as tall and old as Josh, had black hair and light blue eyes. He wore gray all over, just as dull as Adam's dark clothes.

**Hey, **Adam said in his head. I guess I accidentally told him that mentally, **I like black, it's my favorite color.**

_Sorry, _I replied, _I couldn't help it._

"And I'm Hannah, from Lavender Town, Kanto." The half-lopunny was just as old as Adam and I, but was half an inch shorter than us. She was a blonde with dark brown eyes. She wore a lavender shirt and skirt. "Nice to meet you."

"Are all of you pokemorphs, maybe crosses?" Adam asked.

"No, just Hannah, Lucien, and Frank," Josh explained.

"My family was from the same nomadic group yours was in, Adam," Alex said, "that is, before the group dissolved a long time ago."

"Can you use soul power?" Adam questioned.

"Yes, you?"

"I'm still trying to find my essence."

"Don't worry, I can help you once the two of you get settled."

"So what happened to you?" Adam had a small curious look in his eye. It was small, but still there.

"You know about the demonic side of everyone, right? My family was attacked by those taken over, me being the only survivor."

"I see...What about you, Josh?"

"My family visited a house that was supposed to be haunted. We should have listened. My little sister and I escaped with our lives, but she fell to a fatal disease."

"My family was divorced, my father estranged, and just a few years ago, my mother died." Nathan sighed. "Even now it's hard to get over it."

"Don't worry," I said, "just stay strong."

"I was a loner from the start, not having any family to go to, never knowing my parents." Lucien looked out the window. "It raises a lot of questions for me."

"My mother was thrown out of her village for loving a human," Frank spoke up, "My mother was killed when I was ten, and a year later my father killed himself due to the grief."

"I'm so sorry," Adam saw the picture of him and his parents on the table. They looked so happy.

"You guys all know the unexplained high suicide count in Lavender Town, right?" Everyone nodded to Hannah. "I was the only family member who didn't succumb to what many thought was a curse on the town. I ran to Unova in a futile effort to find a relative to stay with."

"Since you guys searched for me, I bet you know what happened to me." Adam scratched the back of his head.

"Yes...but we didn't know about the gardevoir," Lucien answered.

"My name is Ruby," I stated.

"Sorry, Ruby. But how did you and Adam meet?" Adam sighed and sat on a chair.

"When I was five, I often went into this forest. It was like a second home to me before the attack by the Purifiers. But one day I felt something near me. I couldn't see anything, but I knew it was there. It seemed to be poking around in my head. It sounded demonic, and no matter what I tried, I couldn't get it out of my mind. I panicked and ran as fast as I could, a big mistake. I fell into a river and drowned. It was horrible. If Ruby wasn't there I would've died. She was separated from her parents and decided to live with me."

"Did you name her 'Ruby,' or did she name herself?" Josh asked.

"I actually came up with the name myself," I answered.

"Ruby...That's a good name," Nathan said.

"Thanks," I giggled.

"Do you have any idea what attacked you?" Hannah sat down.

"No. But not a day goes by where I don't remember the sound of that voice."

_Was it the same voice from a few minutes ago? _I knew Lucien would probably overhear the telepathy, but it couldn't hurt to try.

**No, **he replied,** but that voice was odd, too.**

"Just so you two know, we often have had a strong, 'no one gets left behind' motto. Our best chance is sticking together," Josh explained.

"Why hide?" Everyone looked at Adam. "It's not like anyone is trying to hunt you down."

"Are the Purifiers still looking for you?" Hannah questioned.

"Yes, but you're willing to let us stay here even though the Purifiers aren't after you?"

"Like we said, nobody gets left behind," Lucien repeated.

"Do the Purifiers patrol these kind of areas," Adam wondered, "because they are far from the norm, so they'd veer from paved paths."

"They only come near about once a month to check if any of those demon-things are near." Hannah ate an orange. "But they have kept their promise of staying away from us. Seventy feet was the deal."

Afterwards we started to relax and just enjoy the rest of the day. We all slept upstairs, except for Alex and I, who took the downstairs couches. But when night came I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was what Adam had said at the library. Could he really not feel emotion? Was something really wrong with him. All these questions just ran through my head. I couldn't sleep at all.

"Can't sleep?" Alex asked. "Neither can I."

"Why can't you?"

"You're not the only one hearing that voice from the forest center."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I always wondered what was in the center, and why whatever is in there wanted to guard it so badly."

"I'm actually curious too."

"Is that why you can't sleep?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"...I am worried something is seriously wrong with Adam."

"...I bet I could find out what it is. But it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"Thanks..."

* * *

_Unknown Place Unknown POV_

"Sister, he's no longer a threat, you renember what happened, right?"

"He can still recover that power if we let our watch down. Besides, we should also focus on the boy.

"Why do you keep bringing up the boy? He hasn't even learned the art yet."

"It's not the amount of his power that concerns me, but its composition. Something in him is unstable. I fear the worst, but I don't want to jump to conclusions."

"What do you think it is?"

"I'm still not sure, but if we don't do something-"

"That is not our desicion to make. We leave that to 'her,' got it?"

"...Got it..."

"I know it's difficult, but we can't do anything until the time comes..."

* * *

**Randomind: For the sake of ease, I won't list every little difference, but I will list important ones. Leave a review if you feel something needs to be heard.**

**Adam: Also, if you have a question, message him.**

**Ruby: Don't forget to sign the petition to stop SOPA and keep FanFiction alive!**

**Randomind: See you later!**

* * *

_Differences between the old and new versions:_

-Adam would have learned soul power by now in the old version.

-Josh, Alex, Nathan, Lucien, Frank, and Hannah all never existed in the old version, and neither did the building.

-Nobody but Adam knew what John was looking for in the old version. In fact, in that version, it never occurred to Adam that he was searching for the same thing his father was.

-Nobody suspected something was wrong with Adam in the old version until he used his soul power, and that something was different from the problem he currently has.

-Adam antagonized the Purifiers as a whole in the old version, during what would have been the events of part one. Now he knows better, but is still cautious about them.


	4. A Boy Beyond Hardened

**Randomind: Oh...Hey, guys.**

**Ruby: What's wrong?**

**Randomind: School has worn me down lately. So I don't have much to say. But what I do have to say is important.**

**Adam: And what is that?**

**Randomind: This story is going to get dark. For those who want an uplifting and cheerful story are going to be disappointed. That is all. ****I only own my OCs, which are listed on my profile.**

* * *

_**Chapter Four: A Boy Beyond Hardened**_

Lostlorn Forest Nathan's POV

I woke up at 3:00 in the morning to the sound of Ruby struggling in her sleep. I didn't think she normally struggled, but we only took her and Adam in "yesterday." So how was I to know? She looked like she was having a nightmare. I leaned in to get a closer look. She jumped out of her sleep, just an inch away from accidentally head-butting me. I tripped on the table in backing away.

"Nathan, are you okay?" Ruby helped me back up.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You just took me by surprise. Did you have a nightmare?"

"...Yes. Yes I did." She hesitated as if she was hiding something

"What happened?"

"...I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, then. If you change your mind, I'm right here." It didn't take long for Ruby to do so. I knew it bothered her too much for her to keep it in.

"Fine." I turned to listen. "I never truthfully told Adam about where I was before I met him."

"And the dream was about that?" She softly nodded. I could tell she was sad. "What happened to you?"

"It's not what actually happened, but what could have happened...Can you keep a secret?"

"It's safe with me." Ruby sighed and gathered the strength to say it. I could tell this wasn't good.

"I never told anyone this. Not even Adam..." She clearly was conflicted on whether or not to actually say it. "...I'm sorry, I still can't say it."

"That's okay. Don't then...But why didn't you ever tell Adam? I'm sure you could trust him."

"I'm not worried about trust. I just don't want Adam to worry about me."

"Oh, I doubt he'd worry about it...In fact, he seems pretty apathetic in general."

"Apathetic?" Judging by her tone and face, that wasn't the right word for it.

"It's either that or he is 'hiding' himself from the rest of us."

"What do mean?"

"You said there might be something wrong with Adam. I think I might know what it could be."

"Could you please check on him? I need to know what it is."

"Don't worry, I'll-" I noticed Hannah come down from upstairs. "What is it, Hannah?"

"Adam isn't up there. I checked to see if he was getting a water."

"What?" Ruby was worried.

"Are you easily worried, Ruby?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, it's just me, okay?"

"Do you have any idea when he left, Hannah?"

"The window was shut about ten minutes ago." Hannah got a glass of water. "When I saw it afterwards, it was open."

"Then he couldn't have gone far. Get Lucien up, and tell him to sweep the area for him." Hannah ran upstairs while I turned to Ruby. "You as well, Ruby. We'll need all the help we can get."

"Okay."

"Do you have any idea where he could have gone?"

"I don't know. He usually doesn't run off like this."

"Holy crap!" Frank shouted upstairs. We ran up to check on him.

"What is it?" Ruby asked. We saw the other five staring through the window. The two of us looked closer to see a dim, yet easily visible glow of dark purple coming from the center of the forest. For some reason I felt uneasy just by looking at it, almost as if the glow was looking at me.

"Is anyone else feeling a little intimidated by this?" I asked.

"...I think I found Adam," Lucien said, "...What is he doing so close to the center?!"

"We got to get him out of there!" Josh ran to get some supplies in case something went wrong. "This is not going to end well!"

"I'll go ahead and make sure he's safe." I ran out of the building in the direction Lucien guided me. It didn't take long, about two minutes to be exact, to see him sitting on a tree branch, watching the glow. I climbed up the tree, while his unbroken attention to the glow sustained.

"Why are you so close to the center? It's dangerous!"

"I had to get a closer look."

"You scared us all. Do you always sneak out like that?"

"No, but there is something in that glow..."

"Look, just come back before someone starts flipping their crap, okay?" Suddenly the glow began to grow dim and retreat back. Adam's attention turned to just that. "Adam, don't do it. Let's just go home before something happens to us."

But of course he just ignored me like the naïve person he was and moved towards the glow. I had to follow him like I was taking care of a four-year-old popping bubbles.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Let's fet out of the center before we end up de-" I was cut off when that feeling of being stared down snapped back to me, this time stronger than ever. I looked forward to see something at the core of the glow. It looked like sone sort of old sword stuck inside a pedestal. The handle was made of a shiny black stone, probably obsidian. The blade was made of a dark silver metal almost unnoticeably lighter-tinted than the handle.

"...That sword," Adam mumbled, "It looks so...so..."

"Save it for when we go home. This is not the place to be dilly-dallying, dammit!" Something a translucent black, almost like it was a gas yet still moving like it was animated, began to seep out of the handle of the sword. It collected into a sphere that floated above the thing. Both the feeling and the glow intensified.

"ADAM!" He ignored me and drew closer. I saw the sphere begin to take the form of a body, like a three-dimensional translucent silhouette. Where the eyes would be formed two dimly glowing white eyes.

**_"Get out, trespassers,"_** its voice boomed in my head. I recognized the voice to be the same voice from earlier. **_"This is no place for you two, now leave!"_** I could tell this wasn't going to end well, so I used my soul power to pull Adam away in a red-orange energy cocoon and ran with him all the way back to the building, with the voice still echoing, and the light growing brighter and brighter.

We were all tired and mad at Adam for running off, but it was night, so everyone crammed themselves upstairs and went to sleep...At least that was the plan.

I couldn't sleep at all. Literately all the thoughts in my head were just those of heavy paranoia. I should have been glad that whatever was over there didn't kill us, bit I was worried that it would come after us now that we "trespassed" on that thing's territory. Somehow I managed to get some sleep. When I woke up at 6:00 the very first thing I did was take Adam downstairs and question him.

"You really don't care, do you?" I was so disappointed in him.

"What?"

"You could have ended up dead. We were worried sick. Do you honestly not give a damn about our concerns? Does anything but apathy compute in your head?!" He looked at me as if barely provoked.

"They do compute, but I can't feel. I can interpret fear and worry, but I can't truly feel them. Do you know what it's like to have to shut out your emotions so they don't get the best of you?"

"Why would you need to shut them out? Have things been so rough that they literately could take you over?"

"No...but for some reason I always have had such horrible emotions flowing through me with absolutely no reason for it to be so. I had to shut them out if I was to keep myself in check, so sorry if I seem indifferent."

This was just getting weirder and weirder. I still just couldn't get why he was like this. I noticed Ruby was peeking from downstairs the whole time, apparently too eager to hear this later. I pretended not to notice so that Adam wouldn't look behind him.

"You never told Ruby about any of this. Why did you never explain any of this to Ruby?" Adam hesitated to say why, implying he wasn't completely shut out.

"She worries too much about me." Ruby's eyes opened wide without making a sound. I still tried to pretend she wasn't there. "The last thing I want to do to her is make her worry more. It's actually kind of ironic, being too concerned for her to make her so concerned about me." Ruby slowly retreated upstairs after hearing all that.

"Are all of your emotions cut off?"

"No. I can still be concerned, curious, and the like."

"...Do you mind if I check you quickly?"

"For what?"

"Just let me check your soul. I think I know what's wrong."

"Okay, but if you wreck something, I swear..."

"Don't worry, nothing is going to happen..."

I searched his soul for anything particular, such as energy stirrings, odd reactions inside, basically anything that could be a sign of a demonic attack from within. Then I noticed something strange.

"Adam, how long have you been like this?"

"Like what?"

"When did you start to shut out most of your emotions?"

"I...don't know. It was a long time ago."

"Like how long?"

"I don't know...about six or seven years."

"...We'll finish this later." Adam went back upstairs as I thought about what I had discovered.

Now, every person that uses soul power undergoes a test from a demon within them. Winner takes control until death. What I found strange was actually a matter of two things. First off, Adam had never used soul power before, so the second thing shouldn't even happen, let alone its already extremely rare probability with someone that does.

Second, somehow, he's locked in a stalemate with his demon. Adam is in control of his consciousness, but his demon has most of his emotions, which explains why Adam had to "disconnect" from his emotions. This also gets in the way of his ability to use soul power, assuming he still wants to learn it.

"Well, that's weird," I heard Lucien say to me as he alked down the steps.

"Did you just snoop in my mind?" I looked at him.

"Yup."

"You know I don't like that."

"Well, I was curious." Lucien grabbed some cereal.

"Curiosity doesn't excuse you."

"I had to know. At least you figured out what was wrong with him."

"So?"

"Can't you do anything about it?"

"...No. No I can't. I can't do anything to him until he wins or loses when the stalemate breaks."

"Wow..." He took out the milk and poured.

"At least he has his pokemon powers to rely on."

"Well, that, too." He took a spoonful and started munching.

"Hey, today could you practice with him a little? I just want to make sure he can fight well."

"No problem," he spoke, the food muffling his voice.

"Thanks..."

"...What's wrong?" He stopped eating.

"...Don't you think we've been like this for too long?"

"Like what?"

"You know, cooped up in this place, hiding from everyone, not going anywhere or doing anything. It's not like pokephilia is illegal, so you, Frank, and Hannah are safe."

"...You know...you're right. We have been here for quite a long time. And it's not like we've got much progress on that piece."

"I think when we find it, we should try and see the world. See what everything has to offer."

"What is the relic supposed to do anyway?"

"I heard it can allow the owner to see the truth in anything, see through any illusion or trick, basically see nothing but reality. Think about how much society would improve with something like that. No lies, no corruption, no-"

"I have serious doubts," Adam interrupted me as he walked back down.

"What do you mean? Something like that could change the world," I argued.

"That's the problem: People don't like change, and usually won't accept it."

"You don't believe well in the common people, do you?" Lucien started eating his cereal again.

"No, I don't. The common people are often irrational, self-centered, and stupid. Why have faith in them?" He looked out the window closest to the city.

"They are the ones that run our regions, businesses, and governments. We depend on them," Lucien explained.

"Which makes it that more ironic." He turned back. "It's hard to put faith in those that make so serious mistakes."

"Oh, and you haven't?" I said. "You are so perfect that you haven't made a mistake?"

"I never said that. I make mistakes, but I am reasonable, and I follow my actions with logic."

"The only reason you follow logic so strongly is because of your shut-out emotions." He turned to me as if he was going to say something, but didn't. "Am I right?"

"...Yes. That's right..."

"Hey, Adam," Lucien spoke up, "today, I'll test you to see how good you are as a fighter. Is that okay?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Meet me outside in an hour." We all then just brached off and did our own little thing.

* * *

_Somewhere Outside the Edge of Unova Unknown POV_

It took forever to get the transmitter working, but it was finally ready. Normal devices wouldn't have a long enough range. This one could reach much, much farther than the normal ones, and still this one struggles. I guess that's what I got for using the lowest underground floor. After waiting for the Boss to pick up, he finally did so.

"What is it, Matthew? I was in the middle of a meeting."

"I think we may have spotted what we've been searching for."

"The spirit or the boy?"

"Both." The boss hesitated before speaking again.

"Does he know soul power yet?"

"No, Boss."

"Are you certain it's really him? We can't afford any false alarms."

"...It's not solidly evident, Boss. I'm not certain."

"...Watch over him, but, until we know for certain, don't do anything."

"Understood." I was going to hang up before another thought crossed my head. "Um, Boss?"

"Is there something else you want to say?"

"What is so special about this boy? Why are we trying to track him down?"

"...His soul is unusual. Not only does it give off an abnormally strong signature, it is given off despite the fact he hasn't even learned how to use that power."

"Do you think he could be the next one?"

"No. The pattern is too different to be so. If it was, I would know...Remember, Matthew, watch him, but don't do anything. Got it?"

"Got it." I hung up and went to get some sleep, not that I got any at night. "F***ing Helena..."

* * *

**Randomind: That's all for now. Leave a review if you have something to be heard. Message me if you have a few questions, and see you all-**

**Adam: Hey, look at this! (Plops a bunch of papers and notes on the table, all spreading into a mess.)**

**Randomind: Are you kidding?! I just cleaned this table!**

**Adam: Are these a bunch of extra material ideas that you never used?**

**Randomind: Yes...Why?**

**Ruby: How big was the original would-be Part One, when it was just all one story.**

**Randomind: (Using his fingers to count) Um...(he forgets the number of chapters) Ah...It was finished at that pond fight.**

**Adam: That's six chapters! You plan to stretch out the events of six chapters to make a part big enough to be it's own "story?!"**

**Randomind: ...Well, I did take out some concepts from here (he points to the pile of junk papers and notes,) but just the good ones, and brought them into a good story. Good, but dark.**

**Ruby: Well...putting it that way does make it seem plausible.**

**Randomind: Well, it'll be dark. See you all later.**

* * *

Differences Between Old and New Versions:

-It would have taken two more years for the Purifiers to find Adam in the old version, but when they did, they were certain.

-That thing that scared away Adam and Nathan doesn't match his original description. However, there is an explanation for this that will be released later.

-Adam's emotions were not shut out by himself in the old version. They were cut off by a not-yet named OC.

-Adam's demon had no effect on him whatsoever in the old version.

-Adam was a little cautious about Ruby in the old version, but was not genuinely concerned at this point.


	5. A Talk, A Search, and A Warning

**Randomind: Hey, everyone, I'm back!**

**Adam: Rough day, huh?**

**Randomind: And a rougher school week to go with it. But at least I got the chapter done.**

**Ruby: Is this a Early Easter special?**

**Adam: No, and I'm not going to make one. I don't have enough time.**

**Ruby: Aww...(Frowns)**

**Randomind: Hey, when life gives lemons, make lemonade.**

**Adam: What about when FanFiction gives lemons?**

**Randomind: Then you bookmark the story. (Everyone laughs) I...I (trying to calm down) I...only own...my O...OCs, which are on my profile.**

* * *

**_Chapter Five: A Talk, A Search, and A Warning_**

_Lostlorn Forest Normal POV_

"One more time, Adam." Lucien had been practicing fighting with Adam in the backyard for three tiring hours while Nathan watched. The twelve-year-old kid was strong, but Lucien was stronger. When Adam would use Focus Blast, Lucien would counter with an Aura Sphere. When Adam would use Night Slash, Lucien would overpower him with Close Combat.

"This is just going to end the same as the others," Adam commented as he backed near a tree.

"Try a different strategy." Lucien rushed Adam with Close Combat again. But when he hit "Adam" he buzzed out like a hologram. Suddenly he was hit in the back with a Dark Pulse. "See?" *urk* "If you use the right path of mind you can take down stronger enemies."

"Maybe we should take a break. We've spent the entire rest of the morning fighting. I think we should tend to other things."

"Fine then. You did do relatively good, so we can go to other things." Lucien saw Nathan walk over to the other two.

"I agree. You did do pretty well, Adam. Maybe you should use illusions more often. But I have to wonder, weren't you going to say something about that sword we found last night?"

"Yeah. For some reason it seemed so...familiar." Nathan and Lucien looked at each other and then back at Adam.

"You mean you've seen something like it before?" Nathan asked.

"I think so, but I'm not sure where. Do you think it could be connected to the relic we've been searching for?" Adam questioned.

"Maybe," Lucien replied. Ruby walked over to the three with a tired look on her face.

"Hey, Ruby." Adam said. "Did you or Frank find anything at the library?"

"Nothing," she responded, "there was nothing in the library about that ancient thing. I even looked for the books Adam and I found the other day. Neither were in the records, either."

"What about the book about Elesa and Zebstrika?" Nathan joked.

"Can we just get back to the subject?!" Ruby snapped. The rest of them couldn't help but laugh.

"But I find it weird how those books didn't exist according to the library," Adam said, "we just found those yesterday."

"What were you two reading about before we took you in?" Nathan asked.

"One of the books was about this multi-incarnate spirit that suffered a great loss, and underwent a great cycle of hatred," Ruby explained, "it's kind of a sad story."

"What was the name?" Nathan continued.

"Umbra Vis," Adam answered.

"...That name does ring a bell. I used to hear stories about him, but they do seem pretty far-fetched."

"Josh said he had a lead on where the relic could be. Do you guys know what that lead is?" Ruby sat on the ground.

"Josh's cousin believed that the relic actually consisted of two pieces. He suspected that at least one of them was right here in Unova." Nathan said.

"Because the first place we'd look is Kalos," Adam responded. All (except for Nathan) chuckled at his sarcasm.

"Yes, yes, you're hilarious."

"But where could that piece be?" Adam thought aloud.

"He said the relic was heavily guarded when it was whole, so it would make sense that whoever guarded a piece would be really protective." Nathan said. Adam sat down, thinking as much as he could. Eventually he started to look in the direction of the forest's center. "You're not serious."

"What?" Ruby was puzzled.

"He thinks one of the pieces is guarded by that f***ing ghost! No way in f***ing hell I will ever go near that f***ing thing ever f***ing again!" All of them looked at Nathan like he was crazy.

"Wow...whatever you saw must have been messed up." Lucien commented as he used the aura to grab a berry.

"Anyway, do you have any idea where you could have seen something similar to this?" Ruby went back to the subject.

"I think one good place to look is wherever the authorities put my family's stuff. It's not like they'd leave it in the building." Adam got up.

"I'll go with." Ruby stood up as well.

"Have fun," Lucien said, "We'll keep looking for clues here." Ruby and Adam began to walk towards Nimbasa.

* * *

_A Few Minutes Later Adam's POV_

"We're finally here." Ruby and I watched as we approached the police station. The grayish building wasn't too big, but we didn't need space. It was right next to the library, also scheduled to be torn down. I knew that the police would have been the first to confiscate everything that my family owned, so this was the place to look.

"What if they don't believe that you're John and Clara's son?" Ruby asked.

"I bet they'll know it when my blood type results as inconclusive. That'll convince them."

"Oh yeah...cross blood type and all." Blood type tests could detect the types of pokemon and humans, but couldn't conclude on a cross' blood (pokemorph types ran according to form). We went in and approached the lady at the front desk. Surprisingly there was nobody else in the room.

"Hello, young man," the brunette spoke, "are you here to see someone?"

"Actually, I am here to recover some items. You see, My family had an accident a long time ago, and we were just wondering if you or someone you knew still had anything from the incident." The lady hesitated before looking at her computer.

"Well, let's see if we have what you're looking for. Name?"

"Adam."

"...Name of parents?"

"John and Clara." As she typed it into her computer, it appeared as if she saw something, due to her going wide-eyed. She looked at me, then the screen, and back to me again.

"...Really? How about we do a blood test." She was skeptical, just as I thought.

"Don't those take six months?" I asked.

"Since about a year ago, they take about ten minutes," she replied.

"Oh..." After a needle in the arm, and ten minutes, she came back surprised at the results.

"Where have you been for the past six years? Nobody had ever found you." She was still in awe at the boy who nearly didn't exist for six years.

"We have our ways...Listen, I don't mean to be a bother, but I don't really want any major attention from everyone, so could you keep it out of the public that I'm still around? Please?"

"...Okay, but keep in mind that the authorities will still know, okay?"

"That's fine. But is there anything from my family?"

"We have a few storage units in Driftveil City that may have your family's belongings. I can let Jenny know so she can bring you there."

It would take about half an hour before Jenny would get here, so Ruby and I decided to kill some time with talking.

"Did you hear about those new TM versions that came out?" I asked.

"Yeah, aren't those expensive?"

"They are, but you can use them as much as you want. They're not single-uses like the old ones were."

"Huh...Have you ever wondered something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever wondered what we'd do once we found this relic?"

"...I have wondered that, but I can't say that I put much thought into it. It's kind of odd how I rarely look towards the future, but when I do, everything seems so blurry, as if I have no idea what I could become."

"Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?"

"I used to want to be a trainer, but I lost interest a long time ago, when I realized what it was like to actually fight. I didn't want to bring anyone into that. I guess I don't really know what I waht to be."

"I see..."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly, ask me anything."

"When you found me, saved me, and we took you in, you had many chances to leave. Even after the attack you had many chances to part ways. So why didn't you? I could imagine that life out there in the world would be better than that of just staying in the forest."

I could tell she had to think on this one. Either she was hesitating to give a full answer, or she never fully thought it through. It only made me more curious about her past, which she wasn't truthful about when we met. I still wanted to find out about that.

"I could tell a lot about your life by observation," Ruby finally replied, "I could tell you had almost no friends. Most of the extended family, except for your little cousin, ignored you. I would have felt horrible leaving you there alone."

"I feel it has more to it than just that," I replied. "...But I still wonder how the person who attacked my family could get away with what they did."

"I doubt someone could get away with that."

"If I was strong enough I would have made sure of that. If only I could have brought justice."

"You're talking about revenge."

"What's the difference?"

"Revenge is just getting back at someone. Justice is stopping them in an unbiased manner."

"Really? Nobody is ever truly unbiased. We only act on what we think is normal."

"I don't understand what you're..."

"In our society looking someone straight in the eye is common manners when talking. But in another one, it is extremely rude to do so. Some people like me think that most fights are unnecessary, yet the majority think nothing of making innocent beings beat each other half to death."

"I still don't see how that relates to justice and revenge being one in the same."

"Unbiased means that the person is not personally connected to either side. In almost every serious case everyone is personally connected to a side one way or another, leaving little to no common ground. Nobody is truly unbiased."

Just then we saw Officer Jenny walking into the room. She took us to the storage units in Driftveil. Apparently not all of the units were used for keeping stuff cold, but it still smelled like week-old fish. Jenny walked up to one of the units, opened it up, and presented a space full of cluttered boxes and miscellaneous items. I couldn't even see the floor.

"Everything we found from the incident is here. Hopefully, whatever it is you're looking for, it should be here." Jenny waited outside while Ruby and I searched about the unit. It was pretty difficult finding anything when there was almost no footing.

"Hey, Adam, look." I turned to see Ruby holding something I almost forgot about.

"Oh, you found your bracelet." Ruby made a bracelet for herself when we still lived in the city. It had fake gems on it that looked like emeralds and diamonds. "Does it fit?" She tried to put it on, but it was too small.

"Well, I remember making this being easy, so I can make a new one later."

We then took ten more minutes, looking for anything that might give us a hint. There was too much to look at, so we asked Jenny if it was okay if we checked again a different day. She agreed. We did find some old things that reminded us of when we were young, such as pictures and little play sets, but we didn't find what we were looking for. After that we decided to head back.

* * *

_Lostlorn Forest Alex's POV_

"Why do I get the feeling the Purifiers have been spying on us?" I ask. The other five were enjoying lunch, whereas I couldn't think about eating.

"They know their deal, they wouldn't break it," Hannah tried to reassure me, but I was still skeptical.

"They don't need to be close to be able to spy on us," I said.

"Why would they spy on...oh, Adam..." Josh went back to his mac-n-cheese.

"But do you really think they know it's Adam?" Hannah asked.

"I bet the Purifiers are more worried about what I saw last night," Nathan commented.

"And what exactly was that?" I asked him.

"When Adam wandered into the center, I followed him. What we saw was this sword. Its handle looked like it was made of some rock. I think it was obsidian. The blade was made of this really dark grey, almost pitch black, metal that I had never seen before. Some spirit is guarding that thing, and by the sound of him, he plans to keep it hidden. I think that's why the Purifiers like to search these areas." Nathan took a bite of his turkey sandwich.

"Josh, do you think this is the relic John and your cousin were trying to find?" Frank asked.

"No, but I think it could be connected to it," Josh replied. "But how are we going to find out if it is? It's not like we can just knock on the imaginary door in front of a ghost that seems pretty violent."

"Adam said that the sword there looked familiar, as if he saw something like it before. I bet John once had a hint towards the discovery of the relic," Lucien mentioned.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," Hannah said, "I don't think there's anything to worry about." Ten minutes later we saw Ruby and Adam walk inside. "Find anything?"

"Nope," Adam said, "but we can always check again some other day. So it won't be a big deal."

"Well, that's good," Lucien said.

The rest of the day went by like a normal one, save playing poker upstairs. Ruby had the best poker face ever. It was like she was born a prodigy. Even Adam didn't know she was so good. She rarely lost a match. Even when she did lose, it was close, and not much of a loss. Afterwards there was a knock on the door. I volunteered to answer it. I opened the door and found the one person I least expected.

"Ryan? What brings you here?" Ryan was six-foot-two, had black hair, blue-green eyes, and wore a dark green uniform, which stood out from every other Purifier.

"There's something you should know, Alex."

"What is that?" I began to worry.

"There have been demons wandering these woods, and they've been slowly, but surely, drawing closer and closer to here."

"What? Why?"

"We don't know. But I think it would be a good idea to find another place quickly before they do get here. It'll be about a week before they decide to attack."

"Understood. Thanks for letting us know."

"Just one question."

"Yes?"

"Have you recently taken anyone new in?"

"Just a kid. You know we don't like leaving people behind."

"True, but remember this: Be careful of what happens to you guys. If those demons get you, it'll be on the news. And when they see over six soulless corpses dead in under a day next to my searches, they're going to think we did it. One misunderstanding gave us a bad enough image, and we don't want another. Besides, you need to stay safe."

"What was the first one?"

"That's beside the point. The point is that you're not safe here. I suggest that within a week you and your friends find somewhere else to go. "

"Okay. Again, thanks for letting us know." I went back inside as Ryan headed back to wherever he was going.

"Who was that?" Ruby asked.

"The Purifiers have spotted demons drawing closer to here. Those things might attack us by next week." I replied.

"Comforting," Josh said as he looked at his hand, "...I fold." He dropped his hand.

"Did they say anything about Ruby and me?" Adam asked.

"Not directly. They do know that we added someone to our previous six, but they don't know that it's you."

"Where are we gonna go?" Hannah grew a sad look on her face. "It took a long time to find this place, and I don't exactly like caves."

"I think we should wait until tomorrow to think about this. I get a week is a short time, but it's late, and we should get some sleep."

As much as this worried us all, we agreed. This time Adam and I took the downstairs couches. After everyone was settled, we went to sleep.

* * *

**Randomind: That's it for now. In case you haven't yet realized, I translate poke-speech in the story as if they speak English. This is for simplicity.**

**Ruby: What about when the POV doesn't know poke-speech?**

**Randomind: Okay, then it would go untranslated. Leave a review if you feel something should be heard, and see you later!**

**Adam: Something tells me you are easily distracted.**

**Randomind: Like what? (Adam opens up Randomind's search history) oh, shut up!**

* * *

Differences between old and new versions:

-The Purifiers were heavily involved with the events of the old version's would-be part one, but it was not in this way.

-The demons had much less of an influence in the old version's would-be part one than they do in this one.

-Adam did not have any familiarity with the sword he found when found in the old version.

-In the old version, Adam's family belongings were never heard from again after the attack. The fact that they still exist in this version adds a more realistic feel.

-Ruby would have sucked at poker in the old version if she ever played it in that version.

-Also, Ruby never had a bracelet in the old version. Why is this so important? You'll find out later.

-Ryan was never present in the old version, and, at first, wasn't going to be in this one, either.

-Jenny only was present in the old version's would-be part two.

-Adam had more faith in common people in the old version than now.

-Also, the scene in Driftveil never occurred in the old version.


End file.
